non_aliencreaturesfandomcom-20200223-history
Lycanthrope
Lycanthropy is the condition in which a human being is periodically transformed into a vicious wolf or wolf-man hybrid. A person affected by this condition is referred to as a Werewolf or Lycanthrope. Historically, numerous people have been accused of being werewolves, with wide persecutions happening all over Europe, particularly during the Renaissance. Etymologically, the term "Werewolf" should be exclusively used for males. The female equivalent would probably be "Wifwolf", which is seldom used. Overview In modern stories, the transformation into the Werewolf is involuntary, triggered when the subject finds himself or herself under the influence of the full moon. How much they retain (or fail to retain) their sapience and self-control after the transformation varies from tale to tale. They're also shown to be highly vulnerable to silver. Like vampirism, lycanthropy is typically portrayed as a transmitted condition: the victims of Werewolf bites will become infected and start turning into Werewolves themselves. Conversely, it has also been portrayed as an inherited generic condition, or as the result of curses and other forms of dark magic. Stories about werewolves have existed since ancient times and were already popular in the Greek and Roman civilizations. In literature, they have been popular since the Middle Ages, with Marie de France's "Bisclavret" constituting one of the earliest examples. Association between Werewolves and Vampires was already recurring in Bram Stoker's prose, in which vampires can typically assume the form of a wolf, and exert command over both natural and supernatural wolves. As a result, many works have portrayed Werewolves as servants and associates of Vampires; with the bloody rivalry sometimes seen between the two races constituting a more modern trope. In popular culture Literature *''Bisclavret'', by Marie de France (1175) *''The White Wolf of the Hartz Mountains'', by Frederick Marryat (1839) *''The Wolf Leader'', by Alexandre Dumas (1857) *''The Circus of Dr. Lao'', by Charles G. Finney (1935) *''The Silmarillion'', by J. R. R. Tolkien (1977) *''Cycle of the Werewolf'', by Stephen King (1983) *''Howling Mad'' by Peter David (1989) *''The Bloody Red Baron'', by Kim Newman (1995) Television *''Being Human'' *''Bitten'' *''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' *''Dark Shadows'' *''Face Off'' *''Fangface'' *''Freakazoid!'' *''The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy'' *''Grimm'' (as a disease affecting Blutbaden) *''Johnny Bravo'' *''Lost Tapes'' *''The Lost World'' *''The Munsters'' *''The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries'' *''Once Upon a Time'' *''The Real Ghostbusters'' *''The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show'' *''Sanctuary'' *''She-Wolf of London'' *''The Smurfs'' *''Supernatural'' *''Tales from the Crypt'' *''Teen Wolf'' *''True Blood'' *''The Vampire Diaries'' *''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' Gallery File:S7E09.196_Werewolf_Pops_Reuniting_with_Wolfhard.png|''Regular Show'' File:Treehouse_of_Horror_X.jpg|Ned Flanders as a werewolf from "Treehouse of Horror X". File:NUQCvzFh4U0.jpg|Wayne from Hotel Transylvania File:The_Wolfman_from_Van_Helsing.jpg|''Van Helsing'' (2004) File:Werewolf.jpg|''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' File:Wolfman_Lawerence_2.jpg|''The Wolfman'' (2010) File:Werewolf_in_Rise_of_the_Lycans.jpg|''Underworld: Rise of the Lycans'' File:An-American-Werewolf-in-London-Wolf0.jpg|''American Werewolf in London'' File:BdLY270_114_164.jpg|''Twilight'' film series File:PrinceCaspian_shaneWerewolf_940.jpg|''Prince Caspian'' Notes *Besides lycanthropy, there exist several other forms of therianthropy, i.e., men turning into animal-hybrids of some sort. Different cultures over the world tell stories of things that could be referred to as "Were-Boars", "Were-Crocodiles", "Were-Tigers" and even "Were-Dolphins" (these names aren't used, though). Then you have fictional/comedic varieties such as the "Weremoose" from Ace Ventura and the "Were-Rabbit" from Wallace & Gromit. Meanwhile, Sonic the Hedgehog's transformation into the "Werehog" cannot be considered lycanthropy, as he wasn't human to begin with. The term "Werehog" is a misnomer, as it would indicate a man turning into a hedgehog hybrid, rather than a hedgehog turning in a wolf hybrid as is the case with Sonic. See also *Beast of Bray Road *Cynocephalus *Manitou (The X-Files) *Rougarou *Wanshang Dhole (The X-Files) *Werewolf (The Lost World) Category:Legendary Creatures Category:Shapeshifting Creatures Category:Assimilating Creatures Category:Human Variations Category:Carnivores Category:Paranormal Beings Category:European Creatures Category:Therianthropes Category:Literary Creatures Category:Movie Creatures Category:Buffy Universe Category:Despicable Me Universe Category:Doctor Who Universe Category:Ghostbusters Universe Category:Harry Potter Universe Category:Hotel Transylvania Universe Category:J. R. R. Tolkien Universe Category:Johnny Bravo Universe Category:Lost Tapes Universe Category:Scooby-Doo Universe Category:Syfy Channel Universe Category:Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Universe Category:Characters Portrayed by Derek Mears Category:Characters Portrayed by Richard Cetrone Category:Animated Creatures Category:Live Action Creatures Category:The Simpsons Universe Category:The Nightmare Before Christmas Universe Category:TV Show Creatures Category:Video Game Creatures Category:Regular Show Universe Category:Underworld Universe Category:Extreme Category:Elder Scrolls Universe Category:Characters Portrayed by Spencer Wilding Category:Characters Portrayed by John Rhys-Davies Category:Characters Portrayed by Paul Dobson Category:Twilight Universe Category:Narnia Universe Category:Freakazoid Universe Category:Characters Portrayed by Jim Cummings Category:Van Helsing Universe Category:Characters Portrayed by Lon Chaney, Jr. Category:The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Universe Category:Commercial Creatures Category:Disney Universes Category:Face Off Universe Category:The Cabin in the Woods Universe Category:The Circus of Dr. Lao Universe Category:The Lost World Universe Category:Supernatural Universe Category:Teen Wolf Universe Category:Characters Portrayed by Animals Category:Humanoids Category:Universal Monsters Universe Category:Being Human Universe Category:Bitten Universe Category:Dark Shadows Universe Category:Dragon Ball Universe Category:Monster High Universe Category:Once Upon A Time Universe Category:Rosario + Vampire Universe Category:Sanctuary Universe Category:Tales from the Crypt Universe Category:True Blood Universe Category:The Vampire Diaries Universe Category:The Witcher Universe